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The importance of neighborhoods in children's development and well-being

The effects of neighborhood stress on adults' and children's health

L.A.FANS is conducted by the RAND Corporation in collaboration with the UCLA School of Public Health.

The Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (L.A.FANS) is a longitudinal study of families in Los Angeles County, California, and of the neighborhoods in which they live.

Research suggests that safe, supportive neighborhoods are important for children, teens, and adults. But what makes a neighborhood a positive place to live? We are trying to answer this question by comparing the lives of children and adults in a broad range of neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles County.

The L.A.FANS focuses on:

Neighborhood, family, and peer effects on children's development

Effects of welfare reform at the neighborhood level

Residential mobility and neighborhood change

The first wave of the L.A.FANS was fielded between 2000 and 2001. Fieldwork for Wave 2 of L.A.FANS was conducted between 2006 and 2008. We offer Public Use Data and four versions of Restricted Data. See the comparison table to decide which version is right for you.

We have available the questionnaire instruments for L.A.FANS Wave 1 and Wave 2.